Popular baby names in Virginia, 1940

The most popular baby names in Virginia in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,428 babies) and James for boys (1,792). Social Security records list 49,172 babies born in Virginia in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Virginia in 1940

Names given at least 15 times in Virginia that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Nannie: 39 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Maude: 15 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Shelby: 99 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Queen: 19 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Rosa: 129 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Dolly: 22 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Roxie: 15 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Goldie: 21 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Elnora: 20 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Bettie: 53 babies, 3.3× the national rate

Boys

Linwood: 44 babies, 12.8× the national rate
Beverly: 22 babies, 11× the national rate
Haywood: 17 babies, 8.8× the national rate
Kyle: 15 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Garland: 58 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Everette: 18 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Randolph: 53 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Aubrey: 46 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Buford: 19 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Carlton: 44 babies, 4.2× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Virginia, 1940

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,428	–	1
2	Barbara	948	↑2	2
3	Betty	880	↓1	5
4	Shirley	757	↓1	9
5	Nancy	557	–	7
6	Patricia	502	–	3
7	Joyce	460	↑2	13
8	Margaret	433	–	11
9	Dorothy	429	↓2	12
10	Frances	371	–	28
11	Virginia	370	–	21
12	Peggy	343	–	37
13	Helen	315	↑3	18
14	Doris	305	↓1	31
15	Elizabeth	304	–	20
16	Alice	269	↑2	32
17	Linda	266	↑11	8
18	Phyllis	263	↓1	33
19	Jean	257	↑1	29
20	Carolyn	247	↑1	15
21	Sandra	247	↑17	10
22	Martha	244	↓8	26
23	Ruth	235	↓4	24
24	Judith	232	↑17	4
25	Gloria	228	↑7	30
26	Mildred	198	↓3	58
27	Evelyn	193	↓5	48
28	Annie	180	↑1	56
29	Janice	178	↑1	22
30	Carol	175	↑1	6
31	Joan	173	↓6	14
32	Brenda	167	new	42
33	Ann	165	↓9	35
34	Lois	164	↑1	38
35	Norma	152	↑1	43
36	Charlotte	149	↓2	55
37	Patsy	146	–	57
38	Thelma	144	↓12	>100
39	Anna	141	↑6	51
40	Ruby	140	↓7	66
41	Judy	136	new	16
42	Catherine	133	↑7	53
43	Sarah	132	↓16	60
44	Rosa	129	new	>100
45	Janet	125	↓5	19
46	Gladys	123	↓3	>100
47	Juanita	122	↓3	78
48	Sylvia	122	↓9	62
49	Rebecca	117	new	96
50	Wanda	117	new	52

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	1,792	–	1
2	William	1,393	–	4
3	Robert	1,186	–	2
4	John	1,079	–	3
5	Charles	873	–	6
6	Richard	554	↑3	5
7	Thomas	553	↓1	8
8	George	547	↓1	11
9	David	431	↑1	7
10	Donald	370	↓2	9
11	Joseph	355	–	12
12	Edward	287	–	16
13	Kenneth	274	↑1	15
14	Bobby	268	↓1	30
15	Ronald	248	↑3	10
16	Walter	248	↓1	25
17	Jerry	247	↑3	14
18	Raymond	227	↓1	22
19	Billy	221	–	27
20	Paul	212	↓4	17
21	Roy	207	↑1	42
22	Harold	204	↑1	23
23	Frank	187	↓2	20
24	Larry	187	↑14	13
25	Wayne	181	↑4	39
26	Henry	176	↓2	31
27	Harry	174	↓1	47
28	Howard	171	↑7	45
29	Clarence	170	↑2	64
30	Earl	167	↑2	52
31	Willie	165	↓6	35
32	Ralph	160	↓5	37
33	Melvin	154	↑1	53
34	Samuel	148	↓6	65
35	Roger	144	new	26
36	Carl	142	↓6	32
37	Fred	141	↑7	40
38	Eugene	133	↑2	38
39	Lawrence	132	–	36
40	Ernest	131	↓3	58
41	Joe	131	↓8	28
42	Franklin	127	↑7	87
43	Douglas	126	new	56
44	Herbert	126	↓3	75
45	Arthur	120	↓9	33
46	Charlie	119	↓1	>100
47	Jimmy	119	↑3	44
48	Albert	114	–	41
49	Jack	112	↓6	29
50	Gerald	111	new	21

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